K-9 helps nab federal fugitive

STOCKTON - Authorities apprehended a federal fugitive who was bitten by a police dog Saturday following a brief struggle on a south Stockton street, police said.

Members of a U.S. Marshals Service task force spotted Ruben Vargas, 27, traveling south on Interstate 5 about 5:45 p.m., authorities said. Vargas was wanted for a federal narcotics warrant and a state parole warrant, police said.

Marshals requested assistance from the Stockton Police Department, which dispatched units to initiate a traffic stop. Vargas pulled over at a Shell gas station on West 8th Street near Interstate 5 but then attempted to flee, Lt. Jim Charaska said.

A police dog was deployed to help officers apprehend Vargas, who was taken to a hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries.

An officer was also taken to a hospital after suffering a hand injury while apprehending Vargas, but the extent of his injury was unknown.